Laser beam machines include fiber laser beam machines and CO2 laser beam machines. A fiber laser beam machine guides a laser beam (a beam) to a machining head along a fiber and irradiates the laser beam on a workpiece. A CO2 laser beam machine guides a laser beam to a machining head by reflecting the laser beam with a mirror and irradiates the laser beam on a workpiece from a machining head. When laser beam machining is applied to the workpiece by these laser beam machines, the machining head is moved to a desired position to irradiate the laser beam on the workpiece. Therefore, the machining head sometimes collides with the workpiece or the like.
Heretofore in CO2 laser beam machines, a mechanism has been used to reduce damage to the Z-axis driving component (the component that drives the machining head in the Z-axis direction) if the machining head collides with the workpiece or the like. In this mechanism, due to the propagation of the laser beam being performed by a mirror, it is necessary for the machining head and the propagation source of the laser beam (the component from which the laser beam is directly guided into the machining head) to be separate.
In contrast, in the fiber laser beam machine, it is necessary to connect the propagation source of the laser beam (the fiber) to the machining head. Therefore, the damage reducing mechanism used in CO2 laser beam machines are not applicable to fiber laser beam machines.
In the laser cutting apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, a magnet is disposed in both or any one of a laser torch or a torch holder and the laser torch is held by the attraction of the magnet. This makes it possible to easily replace the laser torch.